New York, Aug. 7, 2025 – American billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has deleted over 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts related to scams.
Zuckerberg said the move is part of Meta’s broader objective to protect users from fraudulent activities.
Why WhatsApp shut down 6.8m accounts
The company also introduced new measures on the messaging app to help users spot scams and keep them safe while chatting.
Meta took the measures following an increase in cases where fraudsters hijack WhatsApp accounts, add users to fake group chats that prompt fake investment schemes.
The company revealed that the scam centres operate from South East Asian countries.
Group messaging safety overview
The leading messaging platform introduced an overview of the group a user is added to by someone not in their contact list.
The overview includes key information about the group and tips to stay safe. Using the information, a user can exit the group without ever having to look at the chat, or if it is a recognised group, select the option to see the chat for more context.
The company said notifications from the group will be silenced until you mark that you want to stay.
Individual messaging
WhatsApp said it is exploring ways to caution users when they start a chat with someone not in their contacts by showing them additional context about who they are messaging, to help them make an informed decision.
The messaging app urged users to pause, question, and verify before responding to a suspicious or unusual message, especially if it is from someone not in their contact list.
